Observations in Time [Translucent Green Vinyl]

by Ohio Players

Overview

In the '60s, you didn't have to live in the Deep South to have a Southern R&B sound. Aretha Franklin lived in Detroit, but many of her '60s recordings favored the rawness and toughness of Southern soul over the sleeker, more pop-influenced soul that was coming out of Detroit as well as Chicago and Philadelphia. And even though the Ohio Players were from Dayton, many of their early recordings sound like they could have been recorded in Memphis. Produced by Johnny Brantley in New York, Observations in Time is full of songs that would have been perfect for a Sam & Dave or Rufus Thomas session; there is no shortage of Southern-style grit on "Street Party," "The Man That I Am" or the single "Here Today and Gone Tomorrow" (which was a minor hit). However, some of these 1968 recordings hint at the type of jazz-influenced experiments that the Players would provide at Westbound in the early '70s. The jazz influence is strong on imaginative versions of the standards "Over the Rainbow" and "Summertime," and "Cold Cold World" is the sort of jazz/blues item that one would have expected from Lou Rawls, Jimmy Witherspoon, or Bobby "Blue" Bland in the '60s. So even though the Players offer a lot of Southern-minded R&B on Observations in Time (which was their only album for Capitol), they aren't afraid to branch out and try some other things. ~ Alex Henderson

Product Details

Release Date:	05/05/2023
Label:	Charly Records
UPC:	5060767443804
Rank:	77498

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Ohio Players   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Harold Arlen   Composer
Dutch Robinson   Composer
George Gershwin   Composer
Ira Gershwin   Composer
DuBose Heyward   Composer
Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner   Composer
Marshall "Rock" Jones   Composer
Ralph Middlebrooks   Composer
Clarence "Satch" Satchell   Composer
Gary Webster   Composer
E.Y. "Yip" Harburg   Composer
Allen Toussaint   Composer
Joe Harris   Composer
Andrew Noland   Composer
Gregory Webster   Composer
Ralph "Pee Wee" Middlebrooks   Composer
Johnny Brantley   Producer
Bill Shannon   Liner Notes
Mark E. Jones   Composer
Theodore Robinson   Composer
Marshall Jones   Composer
Leroy Bonner   Composer